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SterlingIllinois1Photo: KWayne1 · CC BY-SA 4.0
–Not graded
History · Sterling Township

Sterling Township dates to 1838, and 24% of its homes were built before 1940

2 places in town are on the National Register. Below: 12 old photos and papers, maps from 1946 on, and the census since 1860.

1838founded
2on the National Register
24%homes built before 1940
12old photos & papers
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Sterling Township’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Sterling Township began

When was Sterling Township founded?

1838

Sterling Township dates its founding to 1838 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1860.

First census: 2,428 in 18602020 census: 17,357188 years
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1843.The full story ↓

What stands out about Sterling Township’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A town in old photos12 old photos, postcards and papers, 1864–1995.Deep rootsEstablished in 1838: 188 years of Sterling Township.Old housesHalf of Sterling Township’s homes were built before 1958.
★ What stands out · By decade

Sterling Township, decade by decade

6 decades in the archive, from the 1860s to the 1990s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1860s1 item
Amerikabrev skickat från Sterling, USA den 26-9-18641864Amerikabrev skickat från Sterling, USA den 26-9-1864
1900s7 items
Photograph of men on horses and on foot in parade1907Photograph of men on horses and on foot in paradePhotograph of men on horses and on foot in parade1907Photograph of men on horses and on foot in paradePhotograph of men with rifles marching in parade1907Photograph of men with rifles marching in paradePhotograph of men with rifles marching in parade1907Photograph of men with rifles marching in paradePhotograph of street scene with horses pulling wagons in parade1907Photograph of street scene with horses pulling wagons…Photograph of street scene with horses pulling wagons in parade1907Photograph of street scene with horses pulling wagons…Keystone Works1907Keystone Works
1910s–1990s4 items
Betsey Ross Tableau at the Wallace School1918Betsey Ross Tableau at the Wallace SchoolCity of Los Angeles1940sCity of Los AngelesUntitled photo1964Untitled photoLincoln Highway - Dillon Home Museum1995Lincoln Highway - Dillon Home Museum
Today6 recent
Sterling Il Pontoon bridge12007Sterling Il Pontoon bridge1Sterling Il Downtown22007Sterling Il Downtown2Sterling Il Downtown12007Sterling Il Downtown1Sterling Il Brick road22007Sterling Il Brick road2Sterling Il Brick road12007Sterling Il Brick road1ILMap-doton-Sterling2006ILMap-doton-Sterling
Timeline

Sterling Township, 1838 to 1995

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1838
    FoundingSterling Township is established
  3. 1864In the archiveAmerikabrev skickat från Sterling, USA den 26-9-1864
  4. 20th century
  5. 1907In the archivePhotograph of men on horses and on foot in parade
  6. 1918In the archiveBetsey Ross Tableau at the Wallace School
  7. 1940In the archiveCity of Los Angeles
  8. 1946On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  9. 1964In the archiveUntitled photo
  10. 1995In the archiveLincoln Highway - Dillon Home Museum
The story

How Sterling Township came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Sterling Township.

Read it all →

In 1834, Hezekiah Brink built the first cabin in what was to become Harrisburg. Two years later, William Kirkpatrick settled downstream in an area that became Chatham. In 1838, Harrisburg and Chatham merged to become the Town of Sterling in an effort to become the county seat. The name Sterling was chosen to honor Major James Sterling, who distinguished himself in the area during the Blackhawk War in 1832. On February 16, 1857, Sterling was incorporated as a city by state law.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

On the map

Sterling Township on the map, 1946 to 1983

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Sterling Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Sterling Township on the 1946 USGS mapSterling Township on the 1983 USGS map1946Sterling sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Sterling Township.

Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

Amerikabrev skickat från Sterling, USA den 26-9-1864
Retake this viewAmerikabrev skickat från Sterling, USA den 26-9-1864, 1864

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Sterling Township’s page.

Retake this view · +15
On the National Register

2 historic places in Sterling Township

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

places listed
2
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
2
each building in a district counts

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

People over time

Sterling Township, census by census

02,0004,0006,0008,00010,00012,00014,00016,00018,000190019502000Peak: 16,281

Between 2,428 and 16,281 people in every census since 1860.

17 censuses, 1860–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Sterling Township’s Wikipedia page.

Places that used to be

Old corners, places now gone and burying grounds

Old hamlets and crossroads still carry their names on the map.

Hamlets and corners on the map
Douglas ParkWoodland Hills
Gone or out of use
East Science SchoolschoolUnion SchoolschoolWest Science Ridge Schoolschool
2cemeteries and burying grounds inside Sterling Township
RiversideScience Ridge Mennonite

Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Help out

Finish Sterling Township’s story

Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
5 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewAmerikabrev skickat från Sterling, USA …: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Coloma Township1 historic placeBSterling2 historic placesA−Hopkins TownshipIts storyC+Jordan TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townPalmyra Township1 historic placeC+Rock Falls1 historic placeB

Questions about Sterling Township’s history

What year was Sterling Township founded?

In 1838, according to Wikidata. Sterling Township’s post office opened in 1843, and the census of 1860 counted 2,428 people here.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (16), the Library of Congress (2), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.